Friday, 29 March 2013
When I was planning my trip to America, way back in February 2013, I knew I wanted the go the Warner Bros. VIP Studio Tour and on Friday 29th March I finally got to go.
I had to get there before 10am, but the only problem was I didn’t really know where I was going or what bus to get. It was inevitable that I ended up missing the bus, so I had the get a taxi instead. From what I can remember the taxi cost a shit load of money. Got the Studio and managed to get on an earlier tour. Needless to say the tour was amazing. I got the visit the Friends set and sit on the Central Perk couch. Went to the Big Bang Theory set and saw Sheldon’s Doppler Effect costume. You weren’t allowed to take any photos because you probably would be shot and killed by Elmer Fudd. However, I did manage to sneak a blurry photo of the set and costume with my iPhone. Didn’t get to see any actors or filming because it was half term when I went and they all had the week off.
Got the see where Spiderman and Mary Jane had that upside-down kiss, which brings me on to.....
Fun Fact #4: While hanging upside-down in the ‘rain’, Tobey Maguire needed to have his nostrils completely sealed with wax to prevent him drowning.
Highlight of the tour was seeing the Frickin’ Batmobile (Holy Awesomeness Batman!).
At the end of the tour, our guide took us to a small museum. Saw some of the costumes from recent Warner Bros. Movies and TV shows, including the Batsuit and Heath Ledger’s Joker costume. The top floor of the museum was all Harry Potter stuff. Got to wear the sorting hat and was sorted into Gryffindor.
After the tour finished I had to get a bus back. I somehow ended up at a bus stop with a crazy lady. Heard her muttering stuff to herself and occasionally swearing. She look liked the crazy cat lady from the Simpsons but with no cats.
Think this is a good time to explain why this blog post is called ‘Nicholas Cage mode’. While I was in Melbourne, my mate Tom messaged me at 4:40am saying “Ey up, I’ve set a signature challenge for you when you visit California. If you can collect at least ONE of these signatures, I’ll buy you all your drinks for the next time we meet”
These were the names of celebrities I needed to get to sign a piece of paper, or better yet a photo of me and (select) celebrity...
Recruit mode : any “where are they now celebrity” eg. Matt LeBlanc, or Duey from Malcolm in the Middle.
Normal Mode: any TV/ B-movie/ celebrity from the past 5 years eg: Conan oBrien, Bryan Cranston
Hard Mode: any Film star/ Comedian/ Rockstar/ Director eg: Marilyn Manson, Bill Murray.
Hardcore mode: Jerry Seinfeld, The Fat guy from Lost, Courtney Love, Bill Gates
Insane/ Legendary mode: Chuck Norris, Tom Hanks, Jackie Chan, Neil Patrick Harris
Impossible mode : Steve Jobs
Nicholas Cage mode : Nicholas Cage
And that’s why this post is called Nicholas Cage mode.
So did I see any famous celebrities while I was in America? Short answer is No. Long answer is I could have seen Simon Helberg a.k.a Howard Wolowitz from the Big Bang Theory. Basically when I got back from the Warner Bros. Studio, I was talking to my hostel room mates and they meet him at Amoeba Music in Sunset Boulevard, while he was having the day off from filming at Warner Bros. Studio.....
Nothing much happened for the rest of the day. I did see someone wearing a glitter suit, playing a guitar and wearing roller blades though. That was pretty special.
Saturday, 30 March 2013
Had a lay in on Saturday morning and woke up at 9am. I was thinking of calling Michael the tour guide and going to the Hollywood sign then to Beverly Hills, but I kept on changing my mind on what to do. Some times I really hate being indecisive but I just can’t help it. In the end, I decided to go on the hostel Hollywood sign tour. Only cost $7, so it was much cheaper than any other street tour. On Friday they had a Beverly Hills tour, which I would have gone on if I hadn’t already booked the Warner Bros VIP Studio Tour.
The Hollywood sign tour started at 10:30am and lasted for 2 hours. Before we left it didn’t look very sunny outside so I decided to wear jeans, which was a mistake. Was stupidly hot when we were hiking up the hill. Bought a Kit Kat in the shop halfway there, and it melted by the time we got to the sign. Outside the shop I saw a stereotypical American couple. There was a bloke who looked like he was on steroids and a Paris Hilton like women who had a small dog. The dog was being dragged across the floor and wasn’t moving its legs, which I found funny.
Fun Fact #5: Just before the Hollywood sign is a hidden garden called The secret Garden of Oz. Apparently the Dalai Lama has been there before. Look out for it if you ever go to the Hollywood Sign.
When I got to the sign it didn’t look real. It looked like a post card. You could see people climbing all the way up to the sign. They looked like little ants next to the 50ft sized letters. So I got to the sign, took a lot of photos and then left.
Being in Los Angeles has made me understand why everyone in America is so over weight. Yes the food portions are big but the main reason is that everything just tastes amazing. Every time I’ve ordered something, halfway through I’ve felt full but I can’t stop eating because the food is ridiculously tasty.
Later in the afternoon I decided to go to Beverly Hills because that’s were I wanted to be...
So anyway, while I was there I got lost, really lost. Couldn’t use Google maps on 3G because, as I’ve said before, it would have cost a fortune.
Top Tip #2: Make sure you have a smart phone with Google Maps or you will get lost. And look for directions while you have access to free Wi-Fi!
After walking around in circles, I eventually found a small pizza place that had W-Fi. Looked for the next bus back to Hollywood and left. While I was at the bus stop I was really cold and desperately needed a piss. I could see a public toilet across the road but was worried if I left I would have missed the bus. Didn’t know when the next one would be so I just held it in. Was painful but luckily I didn’t piss myself.
Got back to the hostel at night and I had new room mates. This time I was in a room with a group of Argentina lads, who all smelt of weed. They were also singing ‘I’m all out of faith’ by Natalie Imbruglia and whipping each other with towels. I left before it got any weirder and went for a walk to see the Hard Rock Cafe and the TCL Chinese Theatre. I ended up in a much nicer, ‘tourist’ area of Hollywood. I take back what I said in my previous post about there being no glamour or street performers. This ‘tourist’ area is what I expected Hollywood to be like. I realised then I was just staying in the shit part of Hollywood. Outside the Chinese Theatre, there were people dressed up everywhere you looked. You couldn’t take a photo without giving them a tip. They would just cover their face if you didn’t give them money. While I was walking around some random person put a CD in my bag. He immediately asked me for a tip. I gave him the 3 cents change I had in my pocket. Needless to say he didn’t look happy and took the CD back off me.
Sunday, 31 March 2013
In the morning I went to the TCL Chinese Theatre again. This time to look at the famous hand prints. Spent fucking ages trying to find Jackie Chan’s hand print. Little did I know I couldn’t find it because it wasn’t there when I went in March 2013. (Today I learned that Jackie Chan was honoured at TCL Chinese Theatre on June 6th, 2013)
Later that day I got a bus to the Walt Disney Concert Hall. It was amazing to see it in person. Such an incredible building. After that I went to another China Town. Lost count of how many China Town’s I went to in the month I was travelling.
In my 3rd final blog post I will be talking about my time in Santa Monica and Las Vegas.
One last thing... The photo of this bloke below was on almost every advertisement I saw in Hollywood. The first person to tell me what he does for a job gets a free pint from me. I will give you one clue. On the ad poster they called him a “Super ..........” Answers on a postcard please, or better yet in the comments section.
No comments:
Post a Comment